Colette Philllips at Commonwealth Beacon:
Recently, I attended the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation’s annual dinner, where former Vice President Mike Pence received the Profile in Courage Award. Pence was recognized for his actions on January 6, 2021, when he put his own life on the line to certify the 2020 presidential election as rioters outside the Capitol made a noose and chanted, “Hang Mike Pence!”
Some openly questioned whether he was deserving of praise for simply “doing his job.” I saw it differently. It would have been easy for Pence to capitulate to his boss’s desire or follow the crowd, but at that definitive moment he risked everything to uphold the Constitution.
So, at the event at the JFK Library, I walked up to the former vice president and told him, “My politics could not be more different than yours. But what you did on January 6th was courageous and an act of true grace.”
Pence thanked me politely before moving on. What I didn’t expect was that later in the evening when he saw me, he thanked me again. I’m not sure if he had been surprised a Black woman with an accent in Boston had reached out to him, but it was clear my gratitude had stuck with him. Likewise, his appreciation stuck with me.
I’m under no illusions about what our exchange meant in the grand scheme of things. And yet, when we step out of our comfort zones to recognize and acknowledge that behind every opinion is a person with experiences and feelings we can begin to form a mutual respect. At these moments, bridging the divide in America seems, well, less unbridgeable.